How to Start Your Conscious Aging Program

It is said a long journey starts with but a single step.

And that first step in the journey starts now.

This journey begins with cultivating and keeping positive friends.

Do you remember how friends seem just to come and go when we were young?

We never thought too much about it, but there were a few people that seemed just to be there no matter what. They lifted us up when we were down. They made us laugh when we didn’t want to. They held us when we cried and sometimes even made us cry. The same was true for them. We wanted to be with them; we wanted them to be happy, and we went out of our way to try and make them laugh.

Where have these people gone?

Some have moved on to the next step in their journey. A friend of mine years ago wrote a book about friendship and the part that stuck in my head was: friends some into our lives when we are in of whatever their friendship offered and leave us when we no longer need them. Well, as we get older we are more in need of all friendships and that need doesn’t stop. If a friend of old filled the role of helping us to laugh at something, even at ourselves and then went on their journey, we need to find others to take thier place. Positive friends are important if we are truly going to embrace the conscious and positive wellness program.

No matter what your current situation it is the friendships we have cultivated with old and possibly new friends that will help us through tough times. It is these friends that help us turn our thought to things outside of ourself and to enjoy the journey forward.

As we just covered friends will come and go in your life, but more important than how long a friendship lasts is that good friends accept you for who you are.

Like almost everything in life, it is not about what you say but what you do that is the measure of who you are. The same goes for friends; it is the actions they take – big or small- that show you how much they care.

So as part of the journey in cultivating positive friendships here are a few things to look for;

someone who will support you when things get tough

someone you can trust and who won’t judge you

someone who won’t put you down for what you do

someone who demonstrates kindness

someone who likes you just for who you are

someone who chooses to be your friend

someone whose company you enjoy and who enjoys yours

And like those friends of our youth;

someone who will make you laugh out loud

someone who can make you smile just by looking at you

someone who will listen

someone who will cry with you

Cultivating and maintaining positive friendships is a two-way street. So to ensure you are doing part here are a few tips;

Keep in touch. These days it is so much easier to do with Facebooks do.

And if it is really bugging you then tell them how you feel. You don’t have to make a big deal of it. Sometimes just sharing helps the other person know that they are important to you and that hearing from them makes you feel valued as well.

One of the least talked about items on the Conscious Aging Program is Isolation.

Some of us have put on weight. Others are concerned about the lines that start to develop in our face. Our hair is turning gray or thinning. So to avoid having to think about it, we stop going to places where we might run into old colleagues. I know of friends who say that they no longer even look in the mirror because they don’t like what they see.

The Conscious Aging Program says SO WHAT; you are not alone in getting older.

Remember most of us got those line from laughing and if your smile is upside down learn how to turn it around. If you spend your time alone, those lines will get deeper, and your smile will become a permanent frown. Isolation makes for long days and even longer nights. And while we know our time on earth is getting shorter, why rush it.

Isolation is often the cause of many common ailments and if you have cut yourself off from the world sickness can be an unwanted result. Social isolation increases feelings of unworthiness and depression. Prolonged isolation also means that a delay in getting medical attention can exasperate the issue with devastating results.

Isolation can creep up on us, without us being aware of it even happening. Part of the Conscious Aging program, therefore, requires us to monitor our social activities. The process of avoiding isolation is not difficult but does require vigilance. Make sure you get out of the house, go for walks, even if you have to do so alone. If you are alone, engage with others you see, a simple hello and smile will do.Go to the mall, even if you don’t need anything, window shop and interact with the store sales staff.

Grab a coffee, sit and join the crowd of people watchers.

If you tend to drive when you go out, take the bus instead, heck hop on the subway or metro where available. The whole point is for you to be proactive when it comes to your well-being. Ensure you are doing what is required when it comes to avoiding isolation.